Policy and Guidelines

                                                                            Stone Policies

• Any person ordering a marker or monument shall personally check with District Personnel for rules and regulations for each section and type of burial before ordering a stone, marker or monument.
• Memorial markers must be made of Industry Standard Granite or Marble or U.S. standard bronze.
• The sizes and charges of the stones and markers shall be set up by the Board of Trustees.
• Minimum thickness for flat markers is 3”. Minimum thickness for upright marker tops is 4” up to 24” in height and 6” thick up to 60” maximum height. Upright marker bases shall be a minimum of 6” thick.
• All setting of markers, bases, and monuments or the installation of crypt plates in any cemetery established and maintained by the District shall be done by District Personnel, except for the top section of an upright stone, marker or monument.
• The top section of all upright stones, markers or monuments will be set by the seller of said marker or monument.
• If District personnel are needed to assist the seller in installation of said marker or monument, the District and all its personnel shall not be held liable or responsible for any loss, breakage, or damage to said items.
• All work shall be accomplished according to the schedule adopted by said District.
• There will be only one marker or headstone to one grave space.
• There will be one vase to a single burial except in specially designated areas (upright sections, Garden of Angels and companion burials.
• Written authorization from the family shall be required on any removal of markers.
• All new additions will be flat sections but upright rows may be added at the discretion of the District Manager.

• The District will not be held responsible for the setting of monuments or markers unless the above has been complied with.
• Once installed, the District will not be held responsible for any loss, breakage or damage to any stones, markers, monuments, crypt plates, bases, benches, or other objects.

  The policies listed above have been reviewed at the regular board meeting on July 25, 2019 by the Board of Trustees to be put in effect                      immediately.

                                                                                                                         SERVICE REQUESTS

Service requests can be placed by phone with any of the office assistants, or the District Manager, Monday through Friday from 8:00 am until 4:30 pm.  If someone is not available at the office, you can leave a message at any time, including evenings and weekends, and our staff will call you back as soon as we return. 

• We require a minimum of twenty-four (72) hours notice for an interment; and a minumum of a seventy-two (72) hour notice for a disinterment.
• Services will be scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis from all funeral homes. We usually schedule no more than three services per weekday, and no more than one service per Saturday and Sunday.  Emergency service requests can be scheduled by the District Manager only and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.  The District Manager shall not allow the interment of a body without a legal permit in his/her possession.
• No interment shall be made on any legal holidays, unless such interment is ordered by a Public Health Officer, or unless in cases of extreme emergency, on payment of additional costs as set by the Board of Trustees, and authorized by the District Manager. On all other days interment, or disinterment, shall normally be made after 8 a.m. and prior to 3 p.m. unless permission for interment at another hour has first been obtained from the District Manager only under the authority of the Board of Trustees.

                                                                                                                          BURIAL POLICIES

The location of each grave shall be indicated by the lot owner, or his/her designee.  The lot owner will need to schedule an appointment to come to the District Office and complete the necessary forms a minimum of seventy-two (72) hours before an interment; and a minimum of a seventy-two (72) hour notice before a disinterment.  All services must be paid in full, by either the family or the funeral home prior to the interment. 

MERCED CEMETERY DISTRICT :

• Does allow graveside service or memorial to take place on the grounds at the lot site indicated by the lot owner, or his/her designee, for burial on the day of interment.
• Does allow the family members to throw dirt onto the casket or urn, or into the grave, from the dirt bucket we provide, before lowering of the casket or urn.
• Does allow the family to move to a designated area if they wish to wait for the lowering of the casket or urn along with the rest of the burial process to be completed. Only employees of the Cemetery District under direction of the Superintendent or other authorized persons shall be present at the grave site for the completion of the burial.  Burial in the District Cemeteries shall be limited in accordance with the relevant provisions of the California Health and Safety Code as same now exists or may be hereafter amended.
• Does not allow- family members, friends, and/or the Funeral Home’s Representatives to assist in the burial process.
• Does not allow- a graveside service or memorial to take place on the grounds at the previous burial site for a disinterment or removal of a casket or urn. The casket, or urn, will be made available to the family and/or the Funeral Home’s Representatives at the scheduled time arranged by the Superintendent or other authorized personnel. 
• Only employees of the Cemetery District under direction of the Superintendent or other authorized persons shall be present until completion of the disinterment process.
• All funeral homes should provide adequate personnel to complete any services needed for the burial, such as removing flowers from vans, carrying of caskets for interments or disinterment, or removing headstones from a disinterment site.
• No person shall burn any combustible material within the Cemetery grounds. No mutilating or sacrificing of any animals, nor any bloodletting of any animals, will be allowed at any time.
• No food, beverages, or other ceremonial items shall be left at the burial site after the service, other than flowers as mentioned above.

                                                                                                             FLOWERS AND VASES POLICIES

• Lot owners may place flowers on each grave only in vases level with the top of the ground. There will not be more than one vase per person buried, with the exception of upright sections, companion plots and Garden of Angels section.
• Extra flowers may be placed on recent burials and on the following accepted holidays, Memorial Day, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Christmas and Birthdays.
• Extra flowers will be removed after burials and the above mentioned holidays, based on the mowing schedule of each section at that time (usually about two weeks time).
• All flower bundles must be small enough to not obstruct the lawn mowing equipment from mowing between the rows of headstones, or they may be reduced in size or removed entirely.
• All artificial flowers and wreaths and natural flowers will be treated the same as fresh flowers and will be removed as they fade, deteriorate or become unsightly.  The Cemetery personnel shall not be held liable or responsible for loss, breakage or damage of any flower container.  Every reasonable effort will be made to care for flowers and containers placed on graves. Insofar as the laws of the State of California provide, the Merced Cemetery District shall not be held liable for loss, broken or misplaced floral decorations, and reserves the right to remove any decoration, including artificial flowers, that appear to lower the high standard of the appearance of the Cemetery grounds. 
• One small flag per grave, will be allowed in the ground border surrounding the headstone.
• No mutilating or sacrificing of any animals, nor any bloodletting of any animals, will be allowed at any time

• No person shall burn any combustible material within the Cemetery grounds.

• No person shall place on any grave, any toys, boxes, globes, shells, cans, jugs, bottles, glass vases or bric-a-brac of any description or any other unauthorized object. No food, beverages or other ceremonial items shall be left at the burial site after the service, other than flowers as mentioned above.